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Starter not turning/smoking under hood

6K views 8 replies 4 participants last post by  bjohns029 
#1 ·
Hey guys! Quick questions.

I came home from work the other day and parked my car and turned it off. I came back out 30 minutes later to crank it and it wouldn't turn over. I tried to crank it once more and it got weaker with a couple of attempts. We popped the hood and tried to crank it again to see if it would crank and it started to emit some smoke.

I don't even really know where the starter is, but the smoking was from underneath the engine/car it looked like.

I am going to buy a starter today to replace it this weekend, and am also going to get my battery checked while picking up the starter.

Does anyone have any other insight to what would be going on? I bought my 2004 Xterra in 2014 with 80k miles on it, and now it has about 100k miles on it. I am thinking it might be time to try and fine a new vehicle as it has cost me about 30% of what I paid for it in repairs now.

Thanks.
 
#2 ·
don't give, up these are great trucks. the reason your starter might have been smoking is because your valve cover gasket is leaking oil onto it. specifically the passenger side valve cover. oil leaks from there and starts to boil up causing smoke. it is very common for that gasket to leak on that mileage. you might also have a rear seal leak. look inside the bell/starter housing and see if you see oil inside. It is very common for oil leaks to occur that mileage in fact its natural but a rear seal leak won't destroy a starter. Also be sure to have the timing belt done at that mileage if it was never done. if not, it will snap and and most likely bend your valves. good luck and have patience.
 
#3 ·
don't give, up these are great trucks. the reason your starter might have been smoking is because your valve cover gasket is leaking oil onto it. specifically the passenger side valve cover. oil leaks from there and starts to boil up causing smoke. it is very common for that gasket to leak on that mileage. you might also have a rear seal leak. look inside the bell/starter housing and see if you see oil inside. It is very common for oil leaks to occur that mileage in fact its natural but a rear seal leak won't destroy a starter. Also be sure to have the timing belt done at that mileage if it was never done. if not, it will snap and and most likely bend your valves. good luck and have patience.
They are great trucks, but the amount of money in repairs is starting to turn into a sink I feel like. The smell of the burning smelled like an electrical burning more than anything. We are going to replace the starter Saturday and see if there is any oil in there.

I took it to O'Reilly's earlier and they tested the battery and alternator, stating it was fine. Then he told me I'd have to turn it off to test the starter and it failed. So I will have to go pick it back up later because of course it didn't start back up.

I love Xterra's, but it's been problematic.
 
#4 ·
!! Does it leak oil??? If the passenger side leaks its probably getting on the starter and ruined it. Dont give up on the x though. Ive bashed the shit out of mine and it goes out to the woods every weekend sometimes 3-4 times a week. Mine has 190k miles on it and when i do my timing belt its gonna push another 100k. Also hate to say it but if it has 100k it may need a timing belt if it wasnt replaced when you bought it. The way i see it is its still cheaper than a car payment. Not only but i had gotten mine at 100k and ive has 0 real problems. Just normal wear and tear things. Like oil leaks which got fixed but to me arent a big deal unless it leaks a ton. Tie rods center link and ive spent 150 bucks on that stuff and fixed it myself. Over the course of 100k miles its been a damn good truck @150 bucks in repairs. The 1 thing that did break litteraly was my seat belt. Everything else just wore out normally how it should. Dont lose faith in the x it just needs some love.
 
#5 ·
My passenger side valve cover gaskets were leaking also which is a known issue after time. I also had a small rear main seal leak that would accumulate on the transmission bell housing near the oil pan. I recently switched my oil to Penzoil Full Synthetic High Mileage and after 3,000 miles that rear main is no longer leaking. It was not a large leak at all but if you are not running a high mileage oil that would be a good start. The Penzoil can be found at Walmart as my local O'Reillys doesn't carry it
 
#6 ·
Updates...

I went to O'Reilly's and had the starter tested. He said it was most likely the starter, and then it wouldn't crank back up. Had it towed 2 miles to my house. Bought a re-manufactured starter from them for about $130 (about $100 after core trade in) and planned to do the repair this morning with my roommate.

We followed some guidance of YouTube videos and successfully changed it! The car started right up after replacing the starter. The old starter did look gunky... I have some pictures included below. There was oil leaking on the bottom, but I am automobile-dumb and have no idea where it is coming from. From what I am hearing from you guys, and others, is that it could be a rear main seal leak or a passenger side gasket cover leak?

I was told the gasket cover leak would be a super easy repair, but that the rear main seal leak would cost a ton in labor. Can anyone here confirm this?

Here are the pictures I tried to take if they help at all... I don't think they are very good pictures.

What should my next step be in regards to the oil leaks? Here are the pictures... https://imgur.com/a/PzBHn

Thanks! Thanks for your support so that I didn't give up on the ol' X... I figure I can keep it around as long as possible after it's fully paid off and keep it as a weekend toy. It's also teaching me so much about car maintenance, so that is also very valuable. So I think it is most wise that I listened to you guys... Repair it, keep it running, I can do whatever I want with it for fun, and then buy a new 4Runner or something when I feel more comfortable and less rushed doing so. :)
 
#7 ·
Imo the valve cover gaskets must be done or youl be replacing the starter again. Once they are replaced wipe all the oil down where it leaks. Check it in a few days if its oily again wipe it off again. To insure there was no left over oil puddled up somewhere. If it continues to leak it is the rear main. I would suggest switching to high mileage oil as it will help condition the seals. If it doesnt leak bad i wouldnt worry much about it. Just keep tabs on the oil level.
 
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